Uncle Sam

noun

Un·​cle Sam ˌəŋ-kəl-ˈsam How to pronounce Uncle Sam (audio)
1
: the U.S. government
2
: the American nation or people

Examples of Uncle Sam in a Sentence

Uncle Sam wants you to join the Army!
Recent Examples on the Web In August, Trump shared a collection of images that included a picture of Swift dressed as Uncle Sam. Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2024 Of course, there may be a price to pay for that performance: Uncle Sam will want his share of taxes. Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2024 Bipartisan economists are weighing how the policies of presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Kamala Harris policies will impact Uncle Sam’s national debt burden. Mahnoor Khan, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2024 The rest of Frank-n-Stein’s body is similar to more common Uncle Sam statues that have readily available molds, offering hope for enthusiasts that Gary’s hot dog monster might live again. Paul Eisenberg, Chicago Tribune, 11 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Uncle Sam 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Uncle Sam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

expansion of U.S., abbreviation of United States

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Uncle Sam was in 1810

Dictionary Entries Near Uncle Sam

Cite this Entry

“Uncle Sam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Uncle%20Sam. Accessed 30 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

Uncle Sam

noun
Un·​cle Sam ˌəŋ-kəl-ˈsam How to pronounce Uncle Sam (audio)
1
: the U.S. government thought of or represented as a person
2
: the American nation or people

More from Merriam-Webster on Uncle Sam

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